Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries Redefining Scott Brooks' Reputation as Head Coach
Injuries have changed the Oklahoma City Thunder as a team. They have also changed Scott Brooks as a head coach.
The Thunder's 3-6 record doesn't tell the whole story of this season. In the absence of star power, Brooks has reformed what's left of his team into a scrappy bunch that competes every night. Even with its two best players reduced to playing cheerleaders, Oklahoma City has resisted the urge to wave the white flag.
For that, Brooks deserves a ton of credit. For years, Brooks has leaned on stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to lead the team to victory. His offensive philosophy had previously been to just roll the ball out to those two and watch them cook.
With both men sidelined, Brooks had to conjure up a Plan B. There have been some ugly moments, such as the 113-85 drubbing at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3, but Brooks has kept the ship somewhat steady despite not having 10 healthy players until this week.
Usage
Last season, Brooks ran his stars ragged. Durant led the league in minutes played for the third time in five years. He had a usage rate of 33 percent, which was also tops among qualified players. Westbrook only played 46 games due to knee troubles but still averaged 30.7 minutes per game with a usage rate of 34.4 percent, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
This time around, things are different. Mostly.
The 41.7 minutes per game Reggie Jackson has logged since his return against the Nets has been vintage Scott Brooks. However, outside of R-Jax, Brooks has done an admirable job of rationing out playing time.
That's a bit remarkable, since the Thunder haven't had many able bodies to help keep each other fresh. After Jackson, no Thunder player is playing more than 33 minutes. That includes Serge Ibaka, the team's de facto best player, who is second with 33.2 minutes.
Whether it's a reaction to last season or just Brooks being cautious, the hope is that the trend continues once the squad is back to full strength. If he can keep his guys from feeling burnt out, the Thunder have the chance to overwhelm teams in the playoffs with their depth and energy.
Development of Role Players
The absence of Durant and Westbrook mandated that others step up. That has been the case so far, even if the standings would suggest otherwise. The Thunder have managed to stay competitive thanks to the contributions from the unlikeliest of sources.
Center Kendrick Perkins, whose offensive game was a punch line for much of the last two years, is averaging 5.3 points per game. That's his highest scoring output since he came to Oklahoma City during the 2010-11 season.
Perry Jones had a brief run where he looked like a breakout star before suffering a knee contusion. Prior to the injury, Jones' 15 points per contest was nearly five times his career average. He's also posting a career high in rebounding with 3.8 boards per game.
Journeyman point guard Sebastian Telfair (9.1 points, 3.8 assists) is having his best statistical season in six years. Forward Lance Thomas has been a fine energy guy whether coming off the bench or in the starting lineup.
However, the crown jewel has been Jackson. Somewhat motivated by the prospect of a new contract after the season, he leads the team in scoring and assists with 22.8 points and 7.5 dimes. He's also emerged as the team's go-to guy in crunch time.
"Reggie is comfortable with the ball, he's comfortable in those late-game situations, and we're lucky to have a deep roster and to have a lot of guys capable of playing with this many guys out," forward Nick Collison said, after the Kings game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "To have a guy like that on the team is a huge advantage."
As important as it is to have stars like Durant and Westbrook on the floor, getting key contributions from your support system is just as crucial. Role players like Perkins, Jones and Thomas will be the guys who fill in the cracks. Their continued development over the next month will be huge for the team going forward.
"Eventually those guys are going to come back from their injuries," Brooks said, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. "But I think it does our group a disservice if I start thinking about those guys coming back. I’m proud of the guys that we have right now. We’re going to continue to build our team with the guys we have right now."
Team Unity
The highlight of what Brooks has done this season has been the way he's rallied the troops in the face of adversity. That was evident in OKC's 102-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 1, the team's first W of the season.
"It started off before the game with the speech that (assistant general manager) Troy Weaver gave us and the speech that Scotty gave us about all being in one boat. Either you’re in or you’re out,” said Perkins, per Mayberry. “I thought that speech motivated us to go out here and get this win. Scotty said he’ll take our eight guys against their 15 guys any day."
The first nine games of the Thunder's season have been about recognizing the little things; moments like Perkins angrily throwing one down against the Bucks, and the bench going bananas. It's Durant cheering his boys on while hopping on one good foot.
It's Brooks scoffing at Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's idea that the Thunder should tank, per Mayberry: "Tanking is not something that we will consider. I don’t think any team is focused on doing that. You’re a pro team. You get paid to play and play as hard as you can and do the best that you can as a group. So that’s never even considered."
These are all examples of team unity as well as testaments to Brooks' growth as a coach.
Scott Brooks came into this season on the hot seat. With his best player headed for free agency in 2016, the clock was ticking on Brooks bringing a championship to Oklahoma City. Then players started to drop like flies and the team had to reassess expectations.
Despite a litany of injuries, Brooks has kept the Thunder from being laughingstocks. A couple bounces here and there, and this team is above .500. The beauty of it is that he's doing it with players who were mostly afterthoughts before the season.
He's no longer just the beneficiary of having Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on his team. Their absence has forced Brooks to lead this team. It's like making your child read by taking away his PlayStation 4.
There was a time where Brooks didn't seem capable of leading Oklahoma City to the promised land. Based on what we've seen so far, that notion should be placed on the back burner.
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